Obituary—Ian Thomas Jackson (1934–2020)

Excerpt

I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of my mentor and one of the founders of craniofacial surgery, Professor Ian Thomas Jackson. He died peacefully at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, on Sunday, 2nd August 2020. Although I knew he was ill suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his departure was really shocking. Ian T. Jackson was a great surgeon and an even better person. I first met him in person during the XXXVII Brazilian Congress of Plastic Surgery held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in November 2000. There, he delivered a true master class entitled “My own history of plastic surgery,” which resulted in a true inspiration to me as a senior resident finishing his training under Professor Ivo Pitanguy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [1]. Although I already knew his wonderful work, having the opportunity to meet him in person was a life-changing experience for me. A few years later, he chose me to work alongside him at the European Journal of Plastic Surgery, first as a Board Member, and later as an Editor-in-Chief, sharing the position with him. I am truly indebted to him. My youngest son is named Ian, after him. I also paid a tribute to him in the preface of my recently launched book on breast reconstruction [2]. …